Defining International Terrorism

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses international terrorism and the fact that it is difficult to define. The paper suggests that despite the lack of a clear image, terrorism has been discussed and analyzed from various perspectives, political and scholarly alike. The paper looks at some of the conclusions from the literature and discusses how these could point to a more coherent identification of terrorism and a future course of action.

From the Paper:

"In today's world, there are certain elements that have influenced modern terrorist movements and the moral support of leaders from abroad is of great importance as a source of inspiration for the terrorist groups. Thus, Leninist extremists have been seen to promote different socialist visions that have been kept from the early beginnings of the centuries; similarly, the influence of the addresses made by certain leaders such as Osama bin Laden via the network cable or the Internet are essential for maintaining the ideological identification of the group with its leader which, in case of fanatics, embodies the essence of the cause they fight for. In such situations, there is little that can actually be done. The war against terrorism has been waged for years now, without a definite result or a prospect for a final outcome. However, the only alternative would be to deny ourselves every possibility of eventually catching leaders such as Osama bin Laden. Inaction or a stop in the quest against terrorist perpetrators would transmit precisely a message of surrender and capitulation in the face of terror."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Huntington, Samuel P. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
• Morgan, Matthew J. "The Origins of the New Terrorism". Parameters. Spring 2004
• Payne, Carroll. Understanding Terrorism - Definition of Terrorism. May 2007. 16 Nov. http://www.globalterrorism101.com/UTDefinition.html
• Plekhanov, Gheorgi. Anarchism and Socialism. Minneapolis: New Times Socialist Publishing, 1895
• Sageman, Marc. "Understanding Terror Networks". Foreign Policy Research Institute. 1 Nov. 2004. 16 Nov. 2007. http://www.terrorisminfo.mipt.org/Understanding-Terror-Networks-Sageman.asp

More papers on Defining International Terrorism:

• Term Paper # 90681 : "International Terrorism"
• Argumentative Essay # 114733 : "International Terrorism and Global Politics"
• Term Paper # 148950 : "Domestic Terrorism: Difficult to Define"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: